Vjem Events

Our top 5 tips to host a low cost Christmas party

Posted on: on Saturday, October 15th, 2011 | By: Vjem

With the holiday season just around the corner, most firms should have started thinking about the office Christmas party by now.

It’s typically a time to show appreciation to staff for their hard work throughout the year, and a time for staff to let their hair down. There has been much talk about a global recession, a double dip recession and credit crunch recently, which will undoubtedly put a strain on budgets. Some firms have cancelled it altogether.

However you can still organise a fabulous party even in these times of austerity.  Follow our top five simple tips to host the ultimate party on a shoe string budget.

BUDGET

Once you agree the number of guests you want to host, decide how much you want so spend per head. £30 per head sounds reasonable but if you are entertaining 500 guests it soon adds up. Once you have agreed your budget STICK to it. Break the budget down in to sub-areas as food, entertainment, venue etc to identify where you can save money. A sit down three course meal is often more expensive than a buffet so if dancing if the most important element of your event then go for a buffet instead of sit down meal. Equally if the focus is on a formal dinner then allocate more money here and reduce your spend on DJ and entertainment time. When working out your budget don’t forget to make allowance for VAT which is often over looked and can throw your budget out.  Lastly, be sure to include a contingency no matter how small the budget.

ENTERTAINMENT

Get the best value for money by using multi-talented entertainers. Can the DJ double up as a compere for the evening if you are having live entertainment? When looking for entertainers, consider tapping into the local creative community to reach them direct. Ask around for recommendations. Facebook and Twitter are great places to start. Booking entertainers direct is often cheaper than going through an agency.

VENUE VS. COMPANY HQ

Do you really need to hire a venue? They can be expensive. You’ll be amazed at how festive decorations can transform what is ordinarily a bland space. Large meeting rooms are ideal. Devoid the space of office furniture and dress it with colour coded or themed drapes, tinsel, baubles, chair and table coverings and atmospheric lighting (changing the colour of light bulbs is cheap and creates a retro feel). Next contract a local caterer to provide a luxury buffet, purchase your own drinks in bulk, link your ipod/lap top to speakers and off you go. Guests can take turns being the DJ or even do some karaoke. Hours of fun at half the cost.

Alternatively you may want to consider a shared party option, which can work out cheaper depending on the package you choose.

TIMING

If you are flexible with dates, consider hosting your party in January. Most venues now offer Christmas packages that run into January.

CAR POOL

Car pooling is a great way to encourage guests to share transportation home. Obviously if they have been drinking then driving is a no no. Non-drinkers can be tasked with taking colleagues home that they either live nearby or pass their home en route. Alternatively identify where each guest lives and organise taxis to take specific groups home that live in the same direction. This is some thing that needs organising in advance otherwise it could be quite difficult. A cheaper and greener option.

If you would like an informal chat about planning your Christmas party of shared party options, please contact Veronica on 020 8819 9919 or drop us a line.

Still haven’t booked your venue for London 2012 events?

Posted on: on Friday, October 14th, 2011 | By: Vjem

I’ve been amazed by the amount of people that still haven’t booked their venue(s) to host events during London 2012. I’m amazed at the number of times I have to shout ‘availability is running out, what are you waiting for?’

Each week I receive information on at least five new events taking place next year. It’s overwhelming but exciting at the same time. Whilst we have a busier than usual calendar of events next year, I’ll certainly be taking some time out to soak up the Olympic atmosphere. It’s going to be fab. There’s literally going to be something happening from morning to night.

Ooops, where was I? Oh yes, the what will soon be lack of availability of venues in 2012. We’re working with some of London’s leading, and amazing might I add, venues and outdoor spaces to offer both our international and UK clients space so host their events next year. I can tell you even at this stage it’s getting very tight indeed with some venues being fully and exclusively booked already.

If you haven’t thought about this year, do get in touch with us as soon as you can so we can start looking at dates and venue options for you. Remember that our venue finding service is free and you’ll gain the following benefits too:

-Time saved from researching and visiting unsuitable venues

- Advice on suitable venues and accommodation for your event

- Site visits organised on your behalf

- Rates negotiated on your behalf

If you would like to discuss your venue requirements, please contact Veronica on 020 8819 9919 for an informal chat or email your brief here.

Event over? Now what?

Posted on: on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 | By: Vjem

Your event was a success! Or maybe it wasn’t? Either way, remember that it’s not over yet. The impact your event had on its attendees, whether positive or negative, will remain with them for a while after. They will take home opinions, freshly made contacts, unanswered questions and more; this can all be used to your advantage. So whether your event was a one off to promote your organisation or a potential annual occurrence, be careful not to overlook the benefits of post event marketing.

It will increase your current exposure and is an invaluable asset to help you move forward. Here are some tips to keep the ball rolling:

1.   You

You, yes you! You are a highly effective post event marketing tool. Actively engaging your attendees in conversation at your event and personally thanking attendees as they leave will make them feel valued as a customer and more directly involved with the event. As a result, attendees can put a face to your name as an organiser, which may encourage them to provide unsolicited feedback and appreciation… be sure to hand them one of those business cards you made earlier! Obviously this wouldn’t work for larger events like a festival, but you could still follow up with a mail shot afterwards. Imagine if all the Glastonbury festivalees received an email from Michael Eavis after the festival? It would be a massive talking point.

2.   The Internet

Although your website is on the business card you’ve been distributing, only a handful of attendees will visit it if they haven’t done so before. However, the growth of digital marketing and social networking has made it easier to reach audiences. The following ideas could not only increase your web traffic, but also provide opportunities to gain invaluable feedback, tips and advice.

Creating discussions in forums enables you to gain feedback on the positive and negative aspects of your event, and provides an opportunity for attendees to offer their advice and ideas. Forums create a sense of community, whose members will discuss and analyse each other’s responses. Voila… one response may create numerous suggestions for you to consider and action.

Got a twitter account? We recommend posting tweets that invite opinions on particular elements of your event. One simple “@mention” can create ongoing threads, attracting those that attended your event and new customer interest. Use tweets to inform your followers of that competition you’ve been considering – you know, that opportunity for someone to win merchandise. Advertising such competitions or promotional offers on social media sites such as Facebook has proven to increase web traffic. Why not advertise your competition with a link to your mailing list? Offering entry into a competition as a reward for signing up to your mailing list will certainly increase your contacts list. Thank people for joining, introduce yourself and remember… segment your mailing list into targeted audiences!

Online surveys… compose one! They not only return responses to those all important questions, “Was the price too high?” “Would you attend again?” etc, they expose your website. By posting links to surveys on social networking sites, a greater number of attendees are prompted, increasing the range of feedback. Be counter intuitive and ask negative questions, “What didn’t work?” for example. Answers to such questions will highlight the event’s main failing/s.

3.    The Best Bits

You’ve set up that online survey haven’t you!? Great! Now your website’s traffic has increased, show new customers what they missed and remind attendees of the best bits. Upload photographs and links to your YouTube channel. Show video coverage of the event itself or film interviews with the artists involved, sponsors and/or stakeholders. Submit a blog entry on how YOU feel the event went. All this will assure audiences that you’re effectively analysing your efforts, are accepting criticism and praise and would do it again.

Post market!

Featured venue of the month

Posted on: on Thursday, September 1st, 2011 | By: Vjem

Each month we feature a venue of the month which is promoted to our clients through social media and email bulletin.

How it works

Essentially we recommend (feature) a venue and promote it to our clients and network throughout the month through our social media platforms, web site and email bulletin.

Your commitment

We don’t charge venues to be featured but we do ask for an incentive to encourage traffic to your site and hopefully bookings. So far offers have included:

- Up to 10% discount on venue hire or catering

- Complimentary bedroom for the organiser for a spend over £4,000

- Complimentary pair of theatre tickets

- £75 vouchers for Marks and Spencer

- Dinner for two in the hotels restaurant

- Weekend stay in designated month at respective hotel

Expectations

It is important to manage expectations. Therefore please note that this activity is likely to yield brand awareness amongst our client groups as opposed to immediate direct sales.  However past participants did receive new inquiries which either turned into a booking or is the start of a new relationship.

What now?

If you would like to participate, please send a short venue bio clearly indicating the type of events you can accommodate, maximum numbers, location etc, link to your site, your offer and an image to Vjem Events.

If you have any questions please feel free to call Veronica on 020 8819 9919.